How to Secure Laptops from U.S. Government's Prying Eyes
On April 21, 2008, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals essentially gave the U.S. Government carte blanche permission to check any and every piece of data on laptops belonging to travelers passing into the United States at border control checkpoints.
In their decision, the court stated that they “are satisfied that reasonable suspicion is not needed for customs officials to search a laptop or other personal electronic storage devices at the border.” This decision also allows the U.S. Government to confiscate the laptop for an unlimited period of time, and with no recourse for the owner of the device. Most business laptop owners have nearly everything about themselves stored on their hard drives, including financial information, pictures, e-mails from a variety of sources, and, of course, work-related sensitive information.
This case highlights the need for every enterprise--and any individual who travels internationally--to take immediate steps. The typical password login protection is not sufficient to mitigate this risk. Enterprises should require that all users have their hard drives encrypted.
